The Greatest Alice
by HaruHikari133
Summary: A story I uploaded a long time ago. / "When Alice leaves her mansion home, she discovers that the adventure and passion she longed for are not all that they seem..."
1. Prologue

Alice was just like any other girl.

Well, almost.

Alice, physically, was normal at least. With long, wavy blond hair and hypnotic blue eyes, people often commented on her beauty. Her face was soft, almost childlike, despite her age of sixteen and her ability to see what others could not in any situation. Her form was petite, and she was not the tallest girl, but when angered, Alice seemed to tower over her target of contempt in a whirlwind of rage.

Granted, Alice did not get angry often.

In fact, Alice was a rather laid-back girl, who preferred to sit and read under the trees in her backyard. While her parents were cooped inside the mansion that was Alice's home, (for she was a rich girl, you see) she would escape to this backyard, and as she read she would dream of other worlds too beautiful and grand to even be real. For these worlds, the unimaginable ones, were the worlds where Alice felt she belonged. Locked away in the pages of a novel, or perhaps in the shape of a floating cloud, whatever idea or form would please Alice, she had to keep to herself. For, such things as other worlds and strange goings-on were not appreciated in the world of the Mansion (that is what she called the home she felt so lost in, you see). The reason for that was beyond Alice, for all she knew was the Mansion. Alice had never taken a step out her front door, as her parents would grow furious if she did. She was confused at this, however, because as she finally surmised that it must be dangerous outside, she witnessed her mother and father leaving to the world outside as they pleased. It was often a source of great headaches for the girl, as she greatly hated anything she did not completely understand.

It was this problem that Alice was thinking about one sunny afternoon, as she was trying to read.

"Ah…" Alice sighed, flipping the page of the book she held in her lap to reveal yet another tangent of words and ideas. The sound of the leaves rustling in the breeze was the only thing to disturb Alice as she read, but even they seemed louder than usual today. So loud, that they began to drown out her thoughts; she couldn't even think the words she read anymore, which meant she couldn't concentrate properly, for Alice was the type to read aloud in her mind as her eyes traced the words on the page.

"I wont be able to read at all if this continues…" Alice muttered to herself, closing her book, and letting out another sigh. She had been sighing often lately.

_If only mother and father would tell me why I cannot leave the manor… I wouldn't have to wonder about what lays beyond it!_ she thought desperately. The reason for her mind's distraction, was that, despite a long period of staying locked in the Mansion, her parents told Alice that they were going on a "usual trip to town" and left her all alone. Well, the servants were there, but they never spoke to Alice, anyway.

"How is it usual if it is certainly not usual? It's so unusual that it is usual, when it is not…" Alice said to herself. She sat there, under her tree, when she suddenly heard a loud noise coming from the Manor. Her head lifted slowly to look upon the place, but saw no sign of disturbance.

"What was that?" she wondered aloud, and began to grow worried.

_The sound I heard was like a "bang", which could be interpreted as many things… it could have been a heavy object being dropped or a gunshot, and I rather hope that it was not the latter!_

Deciding that the stupider thing to do would be to sit there, Alice stood and began to head to the Manor. Normally, around this time of day, when other people would have been having their 12 o' clock tea, not a peep was heard from any room of the Manor.

The servants would always retreat to their quarters, after serving the necessary people, and rest for the busy day to come. Alice felt sorry for the servants, because it must be dreadful to sleep during the day!

_Ah, I must be losing my train of thought_, Alice realized, and found herself standing in front of the backdoor without noticing that she had even gotten that far. Pushing open the door, Alice glanced inside, her eyes tracing the floor, to the wall, to the ceiling. She saw absolutely nothing.

_Well, if there is nothing here, it must be safe to walk inside_! Alice thought cheerfully, and stepped inside the house. However, as soon as she did, a dreadful, piercing voice screamed out to her,

"ALICE! WHY DO YOU CHOOSE TO WALK INSIDE NOW? SCURRY ON, SCURRY ON!"

Alice nearly jumped right out of her skin, and glanced to the end of the hallway. Standing there, looking as intimidating as ever, was the head maid, Florence.

"Hello, Florence," Alice said cheerfully. "I heard a noise, and –"

"Yes, that would have been your idiot cat again!" Florence shrilled. The woman was always yelling, and Alice secretly wondered if she was near deaf due to old age. The news of her cat, Lilian, surprised her.

"What do you mean?" she asked cautiously. "Surely you did not kill her."

"Surely!" Florence shrieked. "I would love to, but the stupid thing escaped me after tipping over a bookcase!"

Alice stifled a giggle, and gave a firm, apologetic nod. Florence shook her head, looking disgusted, and waved the broom she was holding at Alice.

"Anyway, get out of my way! I'm cleaning this hallway! Go near the Foyer, I've yet to clean there yet, and you can read in peace until I finish," she snapped. Alice smiled and gave a slight curtsy in response.

"Thank you, Florence. Happy cleaning," she said, and skipped passed the head maid before she could yell any more.

Entering the foyer, Alice lay herself on the welcoming sofa, and placed her book on the floor beside her.

"Who ever heard of a welcoming sofa, anyway?" she muttered to herself, staring at the ceiling. As if attempting to answer her question, a white furry thing jumped on Alice, mewing a great deal.

"Ah, Lilian!" Alice said, delighted to see the cat safe.

"Florence will kill you if you're not careful," she whispered sadly, petting Lilian, who began to purr contentedly. Lilian was Alice's only friend, and she really did not want to lose her to Florence's temper.

Alice lay there with Lilian for a long time, petting the cat in a motion that soon became robotic. From the head, to the base of the tail, where her fingers would then stroke the tail softly, curling up and making their journey back up to the cat's soft head again. In her mind, Alice began to count how many times she petted Lilian, in an attempt to pass time.

1… 2… 3… 4… 5… 6… 7…

Suddenly, a knock from the grand front door shocked Alice so much that she jumped, and Lilian, disgruntled, gave an annoyed meow. Ignoring her cat's anger, Alice lifted her head, and looked to the door.

_If mother and father were returning, they would simply walk right in…_ she thought to herself, a frown settling on her lips. Much to Lilian's displeasure, Alice sat up fully, and continued to stare at the doors.

_Does this mean there is a visitor?_ she thought, her heart pounding. Her breath quickened. She suddenly felt excited and nervous at the same time.

As far as Alice could remember, back to the days when she was so small her mother had to accompany her everywhere, there had never been one visitor to the manor. The friends her parents treasured so greatly were always visited, but never brought. So, who in the world would knock on their door now?

_Oh goodness! If I sit here thinking, the visitor will think nobody is home, and will leave! Perhaps he or she will keep me company for a short while._

Alice stood, holding onto Lilian, and sped towards the door. Her hand grasped the large handle, and she pulled, using all of her weight, for the doors were at least four times her height.

The person who was standing there was nobody like Alice had ever seen before.

It was a man, a tall man, who seemed to be made but nothing of legs. He wore a top hat that was longer then his neck, and a pinstripe coat. He smiled down at Alice, a smile that stretched far across his face, to the point where Alice wondered if his teeth hurt. His eyes were as black as coal, and made Alice think of black roses and shadows.

He frightened her a great deal.

"He… hello, sir," Alice nearly whispered.

"What was that, girl? I cannot hear you! But do not speak another word. I have come to tell you that there is a world out here, you know. Not one of books and dreary days, but of adventure and passion!" he suddenly cried, in a voice far too high-pitched for his appearance, and took Alice's hand. Alice's first instinct was to snatch her hand away, as his hand was clammy and rough, which felt strange to her smooth skin. Yet, she did not, as the stranger did not seem hostile, and she did not want to be rude without good reason. However, what he said did puzzle her, and she had to tilt her head to look at him, a question in her eyes.

"Good sir, adventure and passion is not acceptable here," she said simply, reciting what her mother and father so often told her.

"Nonsense!" cried the man. "And I do mean nonsense, for that makes rather non sense!" he cried even louder, and his wide smile was quickly replaced with a look of fierce rage.

Alice did not feel the need to correct him (it was "no sense", you see).

"Rather… do you think so?" she asked quietly.

"I know so!" the man declared, and suddenly a hand was on her back, pushing her out the door.

"Come with me, and you shall see!" he cried, pushing her so fast along that Alice struggled to keep up. She gazed around her at the front yard of her home, and the sight that surrounded it.

For it was nothing like Alice expected.

You see, when Alice sat in the backyard of her home, she was surrounded by lovely trees. A forest, according to Florence, that was filled with peace.

Yet now, looking at the other half of the wood that surrounded her home, Alice felt no peace.

The trees bore no leaves, but instead stood naked and brittle against the sky, and despite the shining sun, a black void filled the space between the trees.

"What is that?" Alice asked, but suddenly realized the hand on her back was gone. Spinning around with a gasp, Alice saw that nobody was there.

"Hello? Mister? Where did you go?" she called, turning to look every which way in the hope of catching a glimpse; yet there was none to be seen.

Alice suddenly felt very cold. She was alone, standing in a place forbidden to her. After a moment of standing there, frozen in fear, Alice slowly turned to face the wood. She stared into the void between the trees, and suddenly she heard a voice.

"…li…"

"…lic…"

"…Alice…"

"ALICE!"

Alice jumped. The voice was coming from the wood.

"…H-hello?" she whispered, for she was quite scared by now.

"…om… Come here…"

Alice stared into the void. The voice was telling her to go to it, although she was sure she did not recognize the voice. It did not belong to her mother, father, or the man she just met. Her heart hammered against her chest, a steady beat that started to slowly sound like footsteps. The crunch of a leaf here, the soft squish of the mud there…

That was when Alice noticed she was walking.

"Stop!" she cried suddenly, but it was too late. She was already standing in front of the wood, and her heart did not want to stop. Her mind cried out, yelling, screaming, but her heart yelled back, arguing with dreams of adventure and passion. And try as she might, Alice could not fight back against such ideas that pleased her so.

For, such things were not allowed in the Mansion.

* * *

_Thank you so much for reading! Please review!  
__ - Haru__  
_


	2. Chapter 1

Alice's footsteps were slow and steady. Her legs seemed to move as if by themselves; for _Alice_ certainly did not want to continue, and yet continue _she_ did. Her face was expressionless in the sense that her eyes stared ahead of her, and her lips were pursed tight. Yet, one could see the sweat on her forehead, and the slight shake to her frown. Perhaps her knees were clacking? Maybe her teeth were chattering? Ah, one could not tell, for even Alice could not.

She wanted to go further; adventure… passion…  
She was so afraid; danger… death…

Every warning her parents had ever given her was running through Alice's mind, but it seemed as if someone took the volume button and cranked it up so high that she found it hard to think of anything else:

"_Alice, never leave this house!"  
"Do you want to die? No? Good. Then stay here, where it is required."  
"You have no need to leave anyway, do you? Right. So, stay in the backyard."_

The trees seemed to loom over Alice as she walked, reaching down at her with their branches, beckoning her to come just a little closer…

And the more she walked, the closer she came. Or, rather, was it the trees that were growing closer?

_The forest is growing thicker… _Alice realized. Her first real thought since entering the dark wood.

That thought seemed to break through the haze that came over her, bringing her out of her trance, and she slowly stopped walking. The realization of what she had done, and where she was, washed over her like a wave (not that Alice would know what a wave was like; she merely liked the expression) and her breathing quickened again. This time, however, not for fear.

But for excitement.

"I'm… truly in the wood!" she exclaimed, a smile spreading over her face. Ah, how long did our Alice dream of this place?

_Adventure... passion…_

The man was right; there was a whole world beyond her front door, and Alice was to explore it.

Breaking into a run, Alice almost did not even feel the branches and shrubs that grabbed at her skin, clothes, and hair. She just wanted to get out of this wood, and find the real world beyond it.

_Adventure… passion…_

Suddenly, without Alice even seeing the trees thinning, Alice tripped on a root and feel right out of the wood. And when I say she fell out, I mean she fell out, similar to the way you would fall out of a room, or a closet. For that transition of surroundings was quite the same in this situation, despite how odd it was. Alice fell to the ground, her foot caught in the root, and let out a cry of surprise.

"Ow!" she whined, raising herself to a sitting position. As she brushed off the dirt and leaves that clung to her, before she could even properly look around, Alice heard something she did not expect: a voice.

"Hahaha! Take that, you foul creature!"

Alice jumped, and instinctively ducked. When nothing happened, she raised her head slowly, and gazed ahead of her.

It seemed that Alice was sitting in the middle of a clearing.

A rather large clearing, which meant that she was not out of the woods exactly just yet.

The first thing Alice saw in this clearing was a small house, which was so small and simple Alice nearly laughed. Even the pictures in the books she read were not as pathetic as this (for Alice only saw castles in her books; I suppose _you_ would recognize this "house" as a "cottage", but that's really for you to decide).

Yet, what was stranger then the little house, was the girl standing next to it.

Or, rather, jumping about with a scary-looking weapon.

"Oh my goodness!" Alice whispered. "That lady is holding a sword! What a strange notion, for a lady to hold a sword! If she was holding a fork or a rolling pin I might understand, but why a sword? Is that not a man's item of choice? Well, rather, it would be stranger if she was wringing about a rolling pin, I suppose, but still…"

Alice watched, intrigued, as the young lady swung the sword about. The lady was quite pretty; her hair was short, but that seemed to suit her, and was the color of chocolate. Alice loved chocolate, and she figured that anybody with an association with it must be a good person. Her eyes were a striking red color, which confused Alice even more. She had never heard of _red_ eyes. Perhaps _red_ hair, but never _red_ eyes.

"How curious…" she muttered to herself.

Suddenly, the woman, in mid-lunge, turned her body as she swung, and spotted Alice. A look of dumbfounded confusion came over her, which caused her to lose her balance.

"Ah!" she cried, as she fell to the ground.

Alice jumped, and realizing that the horrible accident was her fault, got to her feet and ran over to the woman.

"I'm very sorry, ma'am!" she cried, helping the lady up. The woman did not seem to need Alice's help, but she took it anyway. She smiled down at Alice, and shook her head.

"No, don't worry about it," she said simply. "I'm… not from around here; I just happened to find this clearing the other day and thought it previously occupied. Yet, when nobody came to claim it, I thought I might house here for a while. I assume it is yours?"

Alice nearly laughed at this, but shook her head instead, since laughing without reason would have been very rude indeed.

"No, I come from the wood," she explained, pointing a polite finger at the trees from which she had just emerged. The lady looked at her, and blinked several times.

"No you do not," she said simply.

Alice blinked back at her. She thought the lady was being very rude, since Alice was trying to be polite in correcting the lady's mistake. It was also quite obvious that Alice came from the wood; she was all dirty from the journey, and she was properly raised to be truthful in every aspect by her parents, and was therefore against lies of any kind.

_Ah, but I cannot expect her to know that, for she does not know me, and therefore knows nothing about me… perhaps I should explain._

Alice was about to tell the lady her very smart argument, when a piercing screech rang through the air. Alice screamed in surprise, and covered her ears, but the lady did not flinch. She grabbed her sword, which lay on the ground, and brought herself in front of Alice.

Stay back!" she cried, holding a firm stance. Alice did so, even though she would have preferred to stay close to the lady.

What Alice saw next, she still dreams of to this day.

It was huge; at first glance Alice would have called it a giant bat. But no, it was not a bat, for it had horns; and giant fangs even larger than its mouth. The fangs drooped out of its mouth, and due to their enormous size, the creature's head hung slumped towards the ground. Its body was almost scaly looking, and the wings that took the place of arms were torn and scrapped in every which way.

"What… what is that?" she screamed, causing the lady to bark a quick,

"Quiet! It's sensitive to noises!" in return.

_For it must be a bat… _Alice thought, her eyes unable to look away, even though she so desperately needed to.

The creature let out another scream, and lunged for the direction it heard the last voice spoken: the lady's.

Now, if Alice was to be in front of the lady, she would have seen the lady smile; she would have heard her say, "You pitiful creature".

However, instead, she saw the woman take a step back, then lunge, her sword outstretched.

The creature was blind, you see, and did not even see the sword as it began its journey.

It probably felt it go through its chest, though.

The screams grew louder, and the creature, in pain, dropped to the ground. That was when Alice noticed little legs and feet. How they supported the beast was beyond Alice. The lady, so as not to be dragged down by the creature, pulled her sword out and danced out of the way.

"Is… is it dead?" Alice asked, even though she knew it wasn't.

"No," the lady answered. "I must finish it off."

The lady took a few steps toward the creature, gripping onto her sword. Alice assumed the lady was to stab the creature and finish it. Indeed, that was what the lady was about to do, and just as she raised her sword, the creature's head snapped up, it's eyes rolled back in its head, and it seemed to spit some strange substance at the lady.

Alice heard the lady scream, and then saw the lady's sword as it plunged into the creature's body over and over.

It was too much; Alice covered her eyes, and found her cheeks to be wet.

_Am I crying…? _she wondered, before the blackness took over.

Alice opened her eyes slowly; for she always opened her eyes slowly after sleeping, even if she just had a nightmare.

She found herself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling, which reminded her of a poem she once read.

The ceiling was then replaced by a familiar-looking lady.

"You're awake!" she breathed, and smiled.

Alice's eyes grew wide, but she smiled as well.

"Oh thank goodness you are safe!" she exclaimed, but then noticed the strange smell in the air.  
"What is that?"

The lady's smile turned apologetic, and she took a step back. Alice gasped, and sat up straight, staring with wide eyes again.

The woman's dress was soaked in blood, and her arm was thickly bandaged. The smell was, strangely enough, coming from her arm.

"What happened to your arm?" she asked quietly.

The lady shook her head.

"The creature spat its saliva at me… it's poisonous," she said. "What you're smelling is my rotting flesh."

Alice did not much like that sort of talk, and so she decided to change the subject.

"What is your name?"

"I'm Meiko. What is yours?"

"Alice."

There was then a silence. The two simply watched each other. Then, suddenly, Alice had a question.

"Ah, why did I fall asleep?"

"Surely you know you fainted," Meiko said, smiling again. "You must be hungry. I don't have much food, but I'll be leaving for town tomorrow, to purchase some, as well as check on my arm."

"Town?" Alice repeated, as Meiko went to a small cupboard.

"Yes, the main town of Wonderland," she said, pulling out a jar and some bread. "Surely you know of Wonderland, Alice! You live here!"

"Ah, no, I do not," Alice answered. She remembered how Meiko did not believe her when she said she lived beyond the forest, and grew slightly annoyed.

"I live beyond the wood."

Meiko was spreading marmalade on Alice's bread by now, but stopped, and turned to face Alice, a skeptical look on her face.

"You're lying Alice, and lying is not looked upon well with me."

Alice was about to answer, but the look on Meiko's face told her she should just leave at that, no matter how annoyed she was, and so, she fell silent. It was all so frustrating.

And yet, she admired this lady. In fact, Alice was quite sure she never admired anyone as much as this girl; she was strong, mentally and physically; she was quite pretty, and spoke intelligently, too. Alice did not even know she was staring until Meiko said,

"Could you not smile at me like that? It's a little unsettling…"

"Ah, sorry!" Alice said quickly. "I was just thinking… you are quite amazing!"

Meiko blinked, and handed Alice her bread. She looked slightly embarrassed, and a light blush tinted her pale cheeks.

"Ah, not really," she said quietly. "I've just trained, that's all."

Alice bit into her bread, finding the treat delightful after not eating all day. Not only that, but such excitement as monsters and a possible death tend to make you hungry. She was happy she met Meiko; it would be delightful if they could become friends.

"At any rate, Alice, you can come to town with me tomorrow, and we can figure something out. Perhaps we can find your home, for I assume you're not telling me the truth due to a wrong turn in the wood, if you know what I mean!"

Alice fought the urge to roll her eyes (as if _Alice_ could get lost!) and simply nodded, wondering what the rest of this 'Wonderland' was like…

_Thank you for reading! Please leave a review!  
-Haru_


	3. Chapter 2

Alice slept that night without a dream to hinder her. It was a peaceful sleep, the kind that you wake up feeling quite refreshed to.

Although Alice did not like such nights.

What scared Alice about a peaceful sleep was the fact that it was so… dark. Black. Nothing but a void that filled your world until you woke up.

It was all so strange; it only lasted for a moment. So it wasn't all that scary really, perhaps just unsettling.

At any rate, our Alice awoke, feeling awake and all that comes with the morning. She opened her eyes slowly, and sat up in bed, gazing around her. Meiko was nowhere to be seen, but that did not bother Alice, for she did not know Meiko, and was therefore uninformed as to her morning schedule.

_She might be freshening up, like my mother does before a party… or perhaps she is still sleeping,_Alice thought to herself, and decided to simply sit in bed until Meiko came for her. Alice had no idea where anything in the small house was, and so she felt that, especially after giant bats were running around, it was safer in bed. Not that a giant bat couldn't kill her in bed; but Alice was still a child in her mind, and haven't we all thought that, despite the monsters in our closets or beds, under our covers was the safest place?

So, it was as she was sitting there that she heard some noises from outside the small window. Alice had not even noticed the window the night before, but there it was, just a simple hop, skip and jump (as Florence would have put it) from her bed. Curious, Alice stood and made her way to the window stealthy, just in case. Standing on her tippy-toes (as she was short for her age, and the window was obviously meant for a taller person) Alice gazed out of the window, wondering what could be making such noise.

As you may have guessed, Meiko was what Alice saw. She was, once again, practicing with her sword.

_Meiko practices often,_ Alice thought. Before Alice tucked herself to bed the night before, Meiko had left to practice, and stayed late into the night, despite Meiko's report that she had been practicing all day, before Alice arrived, and the fact that her arm was nearly rotten. Alice was sure Meiko had stayed up very late, for she had a bit of a hard time getting to sleep, and heard her swinging and grunting about for hours.

She stood there, watching Meiko, until she noticed that her toes hurt, and she was hungry.

_Surely I can interrupt Meiko for some food…_Alice thought, and removed herself from the window.

The morning air was crisp, and felt good on Alice's skin as she walked outside. The sky was bright and clear, and the sounds of morning creatures could be heard. It reminded Alice of her home, in the backyard. The only difference was those trees… the trees that clawed their way in every which direction, and looked as if they would break from a simple shove. The void was still there, thick between the trees, as if sunlight was nonexistent to them. The whole scene gave Alice the shivers, and so she made quite the effort not to look at them.

Instead, she focused on Meiko, who seemed to be taking a short break, sitting against the cottage. When she spotted Alice, she waved, and gave that assuring smile. Alice couldn't help but smile in return; other then Lilian, Alice had no friends, and so she felt elated that someone was as nice to her as Meiko. It was a strange feeling, but in the back of her mind, it made her miss Lilian a little bit.

Pushing the thoughts of home from her mind, Alice made her way to Meiko, and gave a polite curtsy.

"Good morning, Meiko," she said. "I find myself hungry this morning, and so I thought to trouble you with a request for food."

Meiko was silent for a moment, then laughed for reasons unfathomable to Alice, and nodded.

"Sure, but you don't need to be so formal! We're friends, are we not?"

Alice blinked, and felt the smile return.

"Friends… right," she repeated.

Meiko and Alice returned to the house, and once inside, Meiko led Alice to the kitchen. Alice gazed around her in wonder as Meiko went to prepare breakfast. She had never before seen such a small kitchen, and it intrigued her.

Meiko spotted her staring and smiled, although Alice didn't notice.

So, as per Alice's request, Meiko had made eggs and toast. Alice ate quite happily, for eggs with toast was her favorite food in the whole world, other than chocolate. She loved to put her eggs on her toast and eat it that way, for not only was it filling, but it tasted delicious.

However, as they were eating, and she was well into her meal, Alice was brought out of her little world of eggs and toast by Meiko.

"Ah, Alice, can I tell you something?"

Alice, who had been staring out the window, turned to look at Meiko. She was surprised to see that Meiko was looking at her quite seriously. Such a serious expression told Alice she was to listen to her new-found friend's troubles, and so she asked, with just the right amount of concern,

"What is the matter, Meiko?"

Meiko sighed, and turned her gaze to her food, which seemed to be uneaten, even after all this time. It troubled Alice, and she figured whatever Meiko was about to tell her had been troubling her for a while.

"I… there is a reason as to why I'm here," she said quietly.

"Of course there must be a reason," Alice said reasonably. "There are reasons for everything, as there are reasons for reasons, which make up the situations and existences we live, adding to our reasons."

Meiko blinked, and gave another smile, although this one was amused.

"Do you always speak such nonsense?" she asked, but didn't give Alice any time to answer.

"No… what I mean, is… I have… I have a 'dream' I guess you could say. Although, it is a small dream…"

Alice tilted her head. It confused her that a woman such as Meiko would have a dream, for in Alice's opinion, Meiko was so strong, there should have been nothing she couldn't do, and therefore no dream she could not accomplish.

"My dream is… to become the greatest wielder of the sword," she said firmly, but was still staring at her food. Alice nodded thoughtfully, and looked to Meiko's sword, that was leaning against the table.

"Surely you already are the greatest," Alice said. "You defeated many monsters, did you not?"

"Yes," Meiko answered. "That is why I came to this wood. So I could train and kill any monster I saw."

That someone could use the word 'kill' so easily upset Alice, but she did not bother to mention it. Instead, she reached over and took Meiko's hand.

"Meiko, my new friend, I am sure you will achieve your dream," she said encouragingly. Meiko said nothing, but raised her eyes to look at Alice, a look of sadness and exhaustion in them. Alice nodded firmly, a smile on her lips, and squeezed Meiko's hand. She always read in books that squeezing someone's hand was a sign of comfort, although she wasn't sure why. Meiko seemed to smile, and squeezed her hand back.

"I will do my best then Alice, because you look at me as if I could do anything. It… encourages me."

"Because I believe you _can_do anything."

Meiko was silent for another moment, and then looked at Alice, a look of excitement in her eyes.

"Why don't I teach you how to wield a sword?" she said suddenly. Alice, startled by the sudden burst of energy on Meiko's part, pulled her hand away.

"What?" she repeated, offended at the very idea. "I would be useless!"

"Not if I taught you," Meiko retorted, and stood, grabbing her sword.

"Come! We'll go right now!" she said, and headed for the door. Alice, still sitting down, turned in her chair to see that Meiko was already out of the kitchen. Desperately, she turned back around, shoved the rest of the toast in her mouth, and following Meiko at a run.

"Wait for me, Meiko!"

Alice stood awkwardly in front of Meiko, holding a wooden sword. It was used for practice, according to Meiko. The two were by the side of the house, in the same spot where Alice had first seen Meiko, which gave Alice a slight feeling or foreboding.

"This is how you hold is properly," Meiko said, showing Alice the proper way to grip her sword. Alice had been trying to interrupt the lecture ever since it started, but Meiko allowed no gaps in her speeches. Eventually, after the lesson on holding and swinging properly was finished, Meiko walked a few steps away from Alice, and did a stance.

"Now we'll do some simple exercises, and –"

"Meiko!" Alice finally yelled, too frustrated to interrupt politely. Her face was red, and she was standing quite childishly in the sense that she seemed to be pouting.

Meiko looked surprised, and nodded, as if to allow Alice the pleasure of speaking, which Alice happily took.

"I honestly do not mind the sword lesson, it seems wonderful and all, but your arm!"

Meiko looked at Alice like she had three heads, then turned her gaze to her bandaged arm.

"What about it?" she asked.

Alice, who was not used to being ignored (for despite the servants quiet voices, they were obliged to speak to her whenever she spoke to them, you see) and thought that the whole business with her arm was far too important then such pleasantries, nearly exploded.

"You must get it looked at, or you will lose it!" she said. Meiko was silent for a moment, and as Alice watched her, it seemed as if Meiko was starting to realize that her arm was in serious danger.

"Ah, you're right," she said thoughtfully. Alice rolled her eyes.

"_Yes_ I am right! Now, we should leave right away!"

Meiko bit her lip, and sheathed her sword.

"Alice, about that… I know I said I would bring you to town, but the forest is far too dangerous. You should stay here."

Alice blinked, and looked slightly offended.

"Oh, and this clearing is not dangerous?" she said. "A giant bat-demon-thing attacked only yesterday!"

Meiko gave a sigh, and walked over to Alice, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Monsters will not attack you today, for they know my name, and they know what I will do to them if that even try to kill you. The woods knows no name, however, and I would rather not see you dead."

Alice took a moment to process this information, and after a long silence, despite her growing desire to see the town, nodded.

"I understand. Perhaps when your arm is better," she said simply, although the disappointment was heavy in her voice, for Alice was so looking forward to seeing Wonderland that she even dreamt of it last night. Meiko seemed to understand her trouble, and gave her another smile.

"I will see you tonight," she said, and began to walk towards the wood. Alice nodded, and waved, despite the fact that Meiko could see neither gesture. She watched Meiko leave, and noticed that the direction Meiko was headed in seemed different than the rest of the wood. The void was not as thick, and the trees seemed livelier.

"It must be due to the town," Alice told herself. She continued to watch Meiko until she faded from sight, then turned her gaze to the practice sword.

"Perhaps if I practice, Meiko will be happier, for she seemed depressed today, and the only thing that can cheer her up is her sword," Alice said. "Therefore, if she had a sparring partner, she would be much happier."

Alice felt proud that she came up with such an idea, and, remembering all the pointers Meiko gave her, began to practice. It was all very strange business, and it took her a long time to get used to, but eventually it became easy. The spins, the lunges, the swings… it came naturally to her until it became… fun!

_Little did Alice know, someone was watching her. The figure's shadow was tall, and seemed to be made of all legs…_


End file.
